The Daily Bucket is a place to catch your casual observations of the natural world and turn them into a valuable resource. Whether it's the first flowers of spring or that odd bug in your basement, don't be afraid to toss your thoughts into the bucket. Check here for a more complete description.March 12-September 20, 2012
Omaha, Nebraska
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the spring of hope, it was the summer of despair, it was a season of new butterfly sightings, it was a season of marked butterfly decline. So goes another butterfly season. On the positive side, I saw several new species I had not seen before. On the negative side, overall numbers were down, way down. This year, my records went from March 12th to September 30th. Last year, I didn't start keeping records until July 18th, but continued to the end of October. I take responsibility for this year's shortened year as we had an early October frost and I neglected to protect my zinnias and marigolds. With nothing left to feed on, there was nothing to bring the few remaining butterflies into the yard.
I recorded twenty butterfly species this year, two more than last year. Only thirteen of this years species, however, were recorded after July 18th, when I started keeping records last year. This year, I saw 218 butterflies on 87 days, but only 100 butterflies on 44 days after mid July. Last year, I saw a whopping 222 butterflies on 75 days. It is difficult to say why numbers were down so much. I know I was busier this year, with less time for observation. I'm sure that was a significant factor, but my impression is that there were just fewer butterflies this year. I'd imagine our drought played a large part. Also, we had a warm winter and an early spring, followed by a late frost. That could have been a factor as well. Whatever the case, it will be interesting to see what happens next year.
Individual species profiles below the fold.